Grossich Method

GROSSICH METHOD (Grossich) for preparing the surgical field (the patient's skin), proposed by G. in 1908, consists in that the entire preparation is limited only to applying a 10-12% iodine tincture to the skin. Before G., for disinfection of the surgical field, the patient's skin was washed with soap and water for 5-10 minutes, then wiped with ether, alcohol, or gasoline. At present, this entire procedure in the vast majority of surgical institutions has been replaced by the simple method of G. G. sees the disinfecting property of iodine in its ability to dissolve skin fat and its considerable bactericidal effect; the advantage of the method also lies in its simplicity and speed. The disadvantages include its irritating effect on the skin (especially in children, in operations on the scrotum), which led to the use of weaker solutions (5%), whose disinfecting effect upon experimental testing proved practically sufficient.